In 1964, Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors that can be placed on an affordable integrated circuit will double during a specific time period, usually said to be every 18 months or every 2 years. Gilder's Law says that while computer power may double every eighteen months (Moore's law), communications power doubles every six months. Bandwidth grows at least three times faster than computer power. In 1999, John Roth, then CEO of Nortel, said that Nortel Networks is moving at twice the speed of Moore's Law, doubling the capacity of its fiber-optic systems and halving the cost every nine months.
The aforesaid predictions have been proven in the development of communication technology, and also indicate that higher speed, larger capacity and smaller size is continuously needed. Moreover, with high needs for anti-interference, security, long relay distance, large communication capacity, low cost, light weight and small size, optical communication is one key to the application and development of communication technology.
At present, optical communication is highly miniaturized and fast. As optical modules play an important role in facilitating the development and modernization of the optical communications industry, smaller and faster optical modes are continuously needed. Conventional high speed optical modules comprises various types, but most of them have an undesirably high cost or a less-than-optimal balance of miniaturization and high speed.
In the past, a simple way to increase the speed and processing capacity of optical modules is to combine a plurality of optical modules. However, the size of the equipment increases with the number of optical modules. Also, the connections between the optical modules and the communication ports of the corresponding system become more complicated. Meanwhile, the capacity of a data processor or data processing center connected to the optical modules must continuously increase. In addition, there is demand for optical modules with a transmission distance that ranges from hundreds of meters to 10 km or more, but there is currently no commercially available high speed parallel optical module that has a transmission distance over 2 km.
This “Discussion of the Background” section is provided for background information only. The statements in this “Discussion of the Background” are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this “Discussion of the Background” section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this “Discussion of the Background” section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this “Discussion of the Background” section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.